


Fate Is Inevitable

by God217



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, Vague mentions of murder/death, i'm only tagging to be polite but really idk what else you'd expect, since y'know it's Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God217/pseuds/God217
Summary: It's been ten years since the tragic accident that changed everything. Ten years since they were just innocent kids, with no idea of what was to come.Now, she's the hero. He's the villain.And there is nothing they could do to change their fates.
Relationships: Valerie Gray/Dan Phantom
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Fate Is Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnluckyAlis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyAlis/gifts).



> This is my holiday truce gift for kinglazrus/UnluckyAlis (boy i sure hope that's the same person lmao).
> 
> Let's pretend the episode where Danny and Valerie dated briefly happened before TUE because it just hits so much harder that way

AMITY PARK - THE FUTURE 

It's the year 2014, ten years after an explosion at the local fast food restaurant caused a chain reaction that nearly destroyed the entire city of Amity Park. Now, it's thriving. People have rebuilt, have retaken their lives, and adjusted to existing beneath a giant ghost shield. They've gotten used to seeing Valerie Gray, their local heroine, fly past them on her hoverboard on a regular basis. 

As long as she's there, they feel safe, because they know she'll protect them just like she has been doing ever since she's taken up the position. 

For her, every day of her life has been spent the same way for nearly ten years now. 

Before sunrise, she wakes up, earlier than anyone else, checks the towers first thing. She makes sure the ghost shield's secure, that nothing's happened during the night. Only then does she allow herself to properly start her day. 

Still early, she goes back 'home' for breakfast, home meaning the FentonWorks building that she still can't quite accept as her own. That should never be hers, not like this. 

After breakfast, she'll usually help her father with the inventions. He can design on his own, but sometimes he needs more than one hand for assembly and testing, and she's still more useful than robots. Plus, she needs the knowledge. They always need to be prepared for the day they know will eventually come. 

She'll later check the towers again before lunch. Make sure they're holding up, it's the most important part of her daily routine. Without that shield, there wouldn't be a city at all. Without her, there likely wouldn't be a shield. She was incredibly lucky to have already started gaining experience before it all began, or else they'd all be goners. 

Every evening she then inspects the ghost shield once more, reassures herself it'll function through the night. She knows it will; she and her father built it themselves, using the Fentons' prototypes as a base. But still, you never know. It's always better to be safe. 

Maintenance is the most important part. 

It's been ten years since Valerie and her father took over the duty of protecting the city, after the Fentons were out of the picture and ghost invasions increased exponentially. Once they were gone, everyone regretted never taking them seriously. The obsessive ghost hunters had been right all along. Oh, they'd always known what would happen, but nobody had listened. 

They'd all thought the Fentons were crazy, until the ghosts really came. 

And then, 14-year old Valerie had been the only one standing between them and the city. 

And won. 

She's Amity Park's official hero now, there's been a ceremony and all that, to boost morale above anything else. Of course, being a hero doesn't leave much free time to socialize. Nobody to socialize with, anyway. She didn't have friends to begin with after her father lost his job, and everyone's long since moved on to live their own, civilian lives, with their own, civilian problems, but she's not a civilian. She never could be. Not after what happened. 

And talking to people about anything further than a greeting feels wrong, unfitting. It feels like they're living in entirely different worlds. She can't care about their mundane issues, only pretend. They'd never understand her consequential ones, how all of their fates rest on her shoulders. 

No civilian would, or should, ever have to face the thoughts that keep her awake at night. She wouldn't condemn them to that if she could. Nobody deserves that. 

After what she and her father have been through now, her social life is the smallest of the sacrifices they've made. 

It's only thanks to them that everyone else can live civilian lives, in as much normalcy as is possible within a ghost shield, surrounded by nothing but destruction. 

What would happen if the shields were ever to fail is easy to see. Out there, nothing's left for miles. They're in safety, but there's no escape from the self-made trap they're in. 

At least far away, much, much further than the eye can see, the rest of the world might be fine, for the most part. 

He only targets them. 

It may have started in Wisconsin, but he's come back to Amity Park right from the very start. 

Now, Valerie's the city's hero, protecting everyone from the evil that lurks outside the border, waiting for an opportunity to strike. She's not the first. 

There was another hero before her, once. 

Now, he's the villain. 

Yet, she doesn't do all the work out of a sense of duty, or care for her fellow citizens. She has those, of course. And she fit well into the position, as she'd already had a headstart with her training back when she'd been the red huntress, hunting the mysterious ghost boy without any idea of who he was. It had been fairly easy to adjust, given the circumstances. 

But that's not why she does it. 

Not why she feels responsible. 

The fact she avoids is that the day of the tragedy at the Nasty Burger, Danny Phantom is said to have lost his entire family and all of his friends in a single, terrible freak accident, but that has never been the full truth. The people in the photo the media used are dead, yes. Died in a horrible explosion no words could ever describe. 

Still. 

She was his friend too. 

And she can't help but think, if only she'd been there for him more. 

If only she'd let him in, given him the chance she'd refused to give him - she'd rejected him to protect him, of all things. 

If only she'd known his secret. Hadn't tried to hunt him down all those times, and instead understood. 

Maybe things could've turned out a different way. 

She learned the truth too late. 

And despite everything that's happened, Valerie knows that, at least to some degree, he's here because of her. Because there's nobody else left that he ever cared for, only her. Because they used to be close, for however brief a period of time, and due to that, he will now forever haunt her in the most literal sense. 

What else would he be here for? Everyone else would be just as random to him as the people around the world he could much easier reach. 

She has to protect the city from Phantom, because she knows Phantom is coming for her, and he'll stop at nothing to take everyone else down with her on the way. 

Is all this her fault? 

No. She always nips that intrusive thought right in the bud. Danny turning into that monster is not her fault. 

It's true that perhaps, if things had gone a different way, she could've prevented it. That much she knows. 

But... she couldn't have had the foresight. Nobody could have. She knows far better than to blame herself. 

Yet she lies awake at night, wondering about an alternate timeline in which her and Danny had just never broken up. In which she'd comforted him after his loss, helped him heal and move on. 

Sure, it would've been hard. Not remotely as hard as this, though. 

And though her mind is set on keeping him out, as far away as possible, and on eventually finding a way to destroy the evil ghost threatening them all, there is still a part left in the back of her mind that remembers. 

Reminisces. 

He was her friend, once. 

How much pain has he gone through to turn into this? 

And has she somehow, inadvertently, been part of the cause? 

If only he'd told her. Well, she knows why he didn't, but surely he had to know that she wouldn't have hunted him if she'd known it was _him_! They could've worked things out. 

They still could, if he wanted to. Not that he would. 

Naturally, she doesn't have any hope that he'll just give up or anything, and she's fully prepared to kill him without hesitation once given an opportunity. She knows she has to. Yet, she can't help but wish he'd just stop and come back. 

Come home. 

Come home without destroying said home, that is. And that... won't happen. She's aware. 

He'll never come back. 

But simultaneously, he'll never leave. 

If Danny had died that day, or just moved away to live somewhere else and start over, she would've moved on with her life. If Danny had simply cut contact with her, it would've stung a bit, sure, but after ten years, she'd probably hardly remember him. High school was so long ago, after all. 

But he's never left, and he never will. And so, she'll never have the luxury of forgetting. 

And the one thing she'll never tell her father, or anyone, is that sometimes at night, when she can't sleep as usual, and she's thinking about him, she doesn't feel the hatred or fear she always displays. 

There's still longing, even after all this time. 

Longing for those very few days back when they were kids, when the world was still alright. When they'd left school after their classes and spent the afternoon together, and it was as if all the stars had just aligned for them. Back then, she'd believed they were meant to be, although she hadn't allowed herself to indulge it. She'd thought there'd be time. 

She's longing for the brief time after, before the disaster, when she was secretly staring at him during shared classes, and not sure whether she should avoid him or seek him out when they crossed paths in the hallways. 

She'd always wanted to go talk to him. 

She'd always chosen to walk away, until it had been too late. 

If she hadn't been a clueless child, she would've known better. 

But she's not a child anymore. And while she lies awake at night missing him, she knows very well that no amount of longing or missing will ever keep her from her fate of having to end him one day, lest he'll be the one to end her. 

And truth be told, she's terrified of him. 

Not because he's a near-unstoppable, powerful ghost set out to end her. She can handle ghosts. 

Because he's Danny. 

• • • 

He too has never forgotten. Oh, of course he hasn't, there's nothing he'd ever forget, nothing of significance. 

He's done his best to cut out the memories he won't ever need anymore. Stupid and useless facts and pictures, taking up space in his mind and distracting him with their persistent nagging. They do nothing but keep him from reaching his full potential, filling his brain with irrelevant information. Details of people that no longer exist. Unnecessary recollections, like Tucker's constant, vocal obsession with meat, or Sam's crazy skills at video games. 

He still hears his father's laugh, and sees the way his mother affectionately rolled her eyes at his antics. Recalls how Jazz would somehow always manage to walk into the room every time their parents probed just a bit too much. How Mr. Lancer just accepted his periodic absences after a while, and never gave him detention or extra work when he walked into class late and with messed up clothes, just a small nod to acknowledge him. 

The teacher had withheld most punishments until the day he'd cheated on his test. But he's long since forgotten the realization that he might've gone too far that time. 

Oh, he's gone so much further now. And really, Lancer? If that man hadn't died too that day, he would've killed him himself for certain. Just because he could. 

No, no, they're all gone, erased not only from existence, but from his mind as well; he stops himself every time something starts to resurface again, waiting for the day it’ll finally go away for good. He spends most of his days in the ghost zone now, honing his skills, improving them every day to prepare for when he can finally take back his dear old home town. Demolishing random human cities is fun at times, but gets boring too quickly. Ghosts, at least, can fight back. Present some kind of challenge, however miniscule. And it's fun to see his old enemies run. 

Naturally, the ghost portal in his old self's home was the first thing Valerie destroyed, after their first battle, when she'd just so barely managed to win. Back then, he hadn't yet been used to his new body, his new skills. He'd been disoriented and filled with emotion he thought he'd left behind. 

He isn't anymore. He'd win now. 

He'd have won long ago, but Valerie is smart, always has been. With the two of them especially, it has always been personal. Thanks to that, she knows exactly how to keep him out, for now. 

The portal in Wisconsin still works just fine, as thankfully his useless parents have apparently rubbed off on him after all, and he's been able to figure out how to keep it running for the past decade. Or maybe it's just that other half of his remembering how he's built it. The old man is long gone, of course, hiding in some cave he apparently thinks he's invisible in. 

Dan always knew where his so-called uncle was. Really, there's a giant Packers sign in front of the entrance, subtle as always. He just didn't care: letting the man live with what he's done sounded better than just killing him. His own human half, that was another story. 

That one was a mercy kill. The one act of mercy he's been willing to perform. 

Vlad did not deserve that mercy. 

Valerie? 

He's always had his mind set on killing her. She's the last human alive that has ever, for however small an amount, cared for him. Has been a part of his life. 

For that, she has to die. 

Truth is, though he hates to ever confess it to himself, that the separation from his human side has never truly done what it's been supposed to do. 

He finds it disgusting, despicable, but he still feels emotion, sometimes. Differently now, very much differently, but it's undeniably there, constantly vexing him. 

His parents, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, even Mr. Lancer, they're all gone, and so he's done what he could to erase their existence from his mind just as the explosion has erased them from existence. 

But Valerie, she's still there. 

Still living, breathing, her heart beating away like nothing bad has ever happened in the world. 

And he detests it. 

As long as she's alive, he knows he'll never be able to truly let go. He knows that his thoughts will always eventually end up with her again, because she's the one thing still tying him to his pathetic past, and so, she has to go. 

Once she's finally lying six feet under with the rest of them, preferably in more than one piece, he knows he'll finally be able to leave it all behind for good and become the powerful being he's meant to be. 

What makes her so special, anyway? 

Everyone else has been robbed from him. Every single person he's loved. 

So why is she still alive? 

If fate, or god, or whatever is in charge of this wants him to lose every last person he's ever had in his life, then Valerie has to die, and that's the only way he can end this for good. 

And he wants nothing more than for all this torture to finally be over. 

Truth is, he loved her. He even found the stupid ring after the incident, and he kept it, for senseless reasons he can't understand himself. She never even wanted it. He still wanted her to have it. 

Maybe he'll bury it with her. Or even give it to her right before delivering the final blow, if he gets the chance. Would be amusing to see her face. He never got to give it to her, but it still belongs with her, if only to be done with it properly. 

He loved her. Maybe a part of him still does. 

Maybe in a different life, she'd let down the shield, and they could be together again. He'd let her in and, perhaps, remember what happiness felt like. Something childish like that. 

But this world is not made for him, and fate is not his friend. And if anything good were to ever come out of this, he knows it would only end up being taken from him, ripped right out of his heart and he'll once again be left to bleed. 

And that, he will never allow again. 

This is what he's been meant to be, and this is what he will remain. 

Valerie will die, even if she takes him down with her. Maybe she will. She's always been good, and he knows she's gotten better too, just like him. 

Earned his respect, almost. 

But she's still human. And he's still a being more powerful than any human could ever imagine. 

They'd be unstoppable together, he can't help but think sometimes, intrusive flashes during his weaker moments that he can never avoid. If they were on the same side again, or rather if she believed they were on the same side for once. They could do anything they wanted. 

Yet, though she was wrong before, her past assumptions are more than correct now. 

She is the hero, the one protecting Amity Park after little Danny Phantom died. 

And he is the villain, waiting to destroy her so he'll be finally free. 

This curse is not on him, he's come to realize. 

It's on them both. 

Once, so long ago it feels like lifetimes now, he naively thought they were meant to be together, thought it really was that simple. 

Now he knows that they're meant to battle endlessly, until one of them finally dies. 

He should've known. It was always plain to see, but ah, he was only such an innocent child. And she was just a pretty girl, ghost hunter or not. 

Ghost hunter, he takes a casual notice. 

His parents would've loved her. 

Really, in some twisted way, he can't wait for them to meet. 

Can ghosts reach an afterlife? 

Maybe that way he could get another chance. 

Maybe little Danny Fenton is already there, frolicking around with his friends, exploring afterlife space, waiting for Valerie. 

But as for himself? 

Could he ever start over, do it right? Be loved, even, in the end, and get to keep it? Who knows.

Maybe. 

Probably not. 

Ghosts don't deserve mercy, after all. And that's all that's left of him now.


End file.
